TWIN FALLS, Idaho -- Mike Greco was the big winner at Magic Valley Speedway last Saturday night, capturing his first main event win in the Pepsi Premier Series.
The race started out pretty enough, but soon turned ugly as the action on the field of 16 cars went wild.
Steve Fisher took the lead from Sam Harris Jr., on lap 15 of the 50-lap main event but at lap-25 he found himself having to battle with cousin Bobby Latham III. The pair traveled side-by-side for several laps as they held on for a white-knuckle ride around the track fighting for the lead. Proving racing is thicker than blood however, the two tangled in the front stretch and the drivers of the No. 29 and No. 9 cars were sent to the back of the field for the restart. Meanwhile, Greco had patiently waited for the cousins to settle things in front of him and took over the race. Greco maintained the lead and went on to make the trip to victory lane.
"The one I felt I was going to have to battle with tonight was Bobby (Latham) - because he had four new tires," Greco said. "But then he and Fisher were having a run at each other. As soon as they started sliding around I just backed off and I thought ‘you know what, they’re going to make their own bed.’"
Steve Jones, who was going for the three-peat Saturday night, had worked his way up to third at lap-45, but with five laps to go he and Rob Vest tangled in turn two, effectively wiping out any chance he had for his third win in a row.
TJ Woodhall, who came into the night second in the point standings had too close of an encounter with Rick Fowble on the white-flag lap and finished twelfth, two spots behind Jones.
Greco’s race car had sustained major damage after the end of the 2006 racing season when a guest driver pounded the car into the wall.
"I think maybe it was a blessing it got wrecked," he said. We had to start over from scratch and we weren’t sure what it was going to do when we brought it out this year, but the first week out it was just awesome."
The hard-fought battles on the track last Saturday night shook up the point standings and Greco, former Pony Stock champion who has previously struggled in the Premier Series, currently has his name on top of the leader board.
Josh Pitz was the big survivor of a caution-filled NAPA Pony Stocks main event, winning his first race of the season. Pitz took the lead from Randy Grubbs on lap 21 of the 30-lap race, but soon had 2006 champion and opening night race winner Jason Whited closing up behind him. Whited had been able to avoid late-race incident and with less than10-laps to go tried to reel in Pitz, but ran out of laps.
Billi Miles, who began the night in second in the point standings behind Whited, had mechanical problems throughout the day and did not finish the main event race. Pitz has now taken over her spot in the point standings with Shawn Nice and Randy Grubbs tied for third.
For the winner of the Budweiser Grand Nationals race Kenny Hatke, the former Hornet driver describes his feelings on his return to racing after a two year absence as "magnificent."
The 21-year-old led the main event from start to finish in the 20-lap race even though Louis Lopez - who won opening night - tried everything he could to get by the young driver. The two raced car door-to-truck door for several laps, but in the end Lopez just didn’t have quite enough to make it happen and Hatke held on for the win.
"The truck had been loose the whole time and we didn’t know if we could get it back to where it would be stiff up enough to keep up with everybody else - but somehow we just did it," Hatke said.
Although Hatke has a win and a second in the two Grand Nationals races held so far this year driving a race truck, he says it won’t be long until he has a car ready to go.
"We’re in the process of building it," Hatke said. "But it’s still a long way from where it should be."
The debut of the Manker’s Nursery Teens Bees brought out four young drivers who put on a great show racing on the one-fifth mile track. Lane Buddenhagen, son of feature division driver Mike Buddenhagen, proved all those years of watching dad race would pay off someday as he goes in the books as the winner of the inaugural event.
Buddenhagen came form third starting position to take the checkered flag in the 10-lap race, with Anthony Avalos, stepson of feature division driver Steve Jones, placing second.
Pat Quinn of Meridian won the main event race for the Super Sixes - to the surprise of no one. The 2006 Idaho Six Cylinder Racing League champion has dominated at MVS in recent years, and Saturday night he came from mid-pack to win the 30-lap race. Randy Sellars finished a close second, with Tony Ackerland placing third.
RESULTS:
Pepsi Premier: 1. Mike Greco; 2. Bobby Latham; 3. Rick Van Vooren; 4. Mike Buddenhagen; 5. Steve Fisher; 6. Dale Rogers; 7. Allen Williams; 8. Daryl Wert; 9. Rob Vest; 10. Steve Jones.
Budweiser Grand Nationals: 1. Kenny Hatke; 2. Louis Lopez; 3. Kent Jensen; 4. Bill Manker; 5. Willie Dalton; 6. Kris McKean.
NAPA Pony Stocks: 1. Josh Pitz; 2. Jason Whited; 3. Shawn Nice; 4. Randy Grubbs; 5. Kevin Grubbs; 6. Brent Abbott; 7. Jonathon Gomez; 8. Louis Aguiler; 9. Michael Stuart; 10. Trent Champlin.
Manker’s Nursery Teen Bees: 1. Lane Buddenhagen; 2. Anthony Avalos; 3. Lyndsey Deatry; 4. Jared Devries.
Idaho Super Sixes: 1. Pat Quinn; 2. Randy Sellars; 3. Tony Ackerland; 4. Jason Skyberg; 5. Steve Waswick.
